I’m Gabriella, a queer Mexican-Italian american somatic therapist and artist and I love what I do for work: having in depth, trusting relationships with people that come into my office. I am from the South-Side of Chicago, IL but I currently live in New Orleans, LA. I attended undergraduate and graduate school at University of Illinois at Chicago where I studied under influential activist faculty and began my activism in reproductive justice and abortion access. Before becoming a therapist full time, I taught comprehensive sex education to high schoolers for 10 years. There is no such thing as TMI in my office (seriously, you should hear the questions teens have asked me…).

I am a lifelong student in psychoanalysis (Carl Jung, James Hollis, Donald Winnicott) , well-versed in the 12 step program and other spiritual practices like Science of the Mind and dream analysis. In addition to clinical content, I also love talking about tarot, astrology, the lives of the saints, movies, and the latest special interest with clients (just to name a few).

When I am off the clock I enjoy: eating dessert (I’m an Italian Taurus sun), swimming (I’m a cancer moon), reading (I knock out about 30 books a year), singing in a choir setting (I’m an alto), practicing devotion to my spiritual practice (I’m Mexican), hiking with my dog (her name is Mandi), going to church (did I mention I’m Mexican-Italian from Chicago?), making art (I learned beading embroidery from a Mardi Gras Indian in 2020), ecstatic dancing (I’m a Sagittarius Rising so if you see me dancing around New Orleans, please say hi).

Some of my favorite writers and artists are Toni Morrison, Anaïs Nin, Ethel Cain, Hanif Abdurraqib, Emily Brontë, Sophie Strand, Elena Ferrante, Remedios Varo, Alfonso Cuarón, Annie Dillard.